-from the occasionally used kitchen of Vanessa Rehac
Ingredients:
Meat:
6-8 slices bacon cut into pieces
1 small chuck roast (1-2 lbs) or stew meat of your choice. Cubed into 1 inch or so pieces
Veggies: 1 Medium-Large onion diced
3-4 Carrots (I prefer the long kind, but baby carrots will do)
Cubed Potatoes ( I used the 7-8 small gold ones, you can use 2-3 regular size white ones) 1cup sliced mushrooms (optional) Feel free to use any other veggies you have laying around that you want to include. Stew is great for left overs!
Panty:
5-6 heaping spoons of flour
(I just use a regular tablespoon from my silverware drawer) You will want a light layer of flour over all the beef (adjust depending on how much meat you have.Â
32 oz beef stock (more or less to cover the ingredients)
1 bottle/can Guinness or dark stout beer. (if you want to skew French, use a red wine)
salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder is what I use. I’m a sprinkler so I would season, taste and add as needed. Season to your taste, some use Bay leaves and other herbs, use what you like.
Prep time: 30-40 minutes stovetop 2-3 hours in the oven.
Notes: This recipe will make enough for 4 good size bowls or 6 smaller portions. Stew should be a little creative so the only real rule is to have enough liquid to cover all the ingredients when brought together. If making a larger amount have 2 stock cartons and extra stout on hand.
Let's Go!
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
In a heavy pot start to cook bacon, when bacon is starting to crisp up add chopped onions.
While onions are cooking, slice carrots. Add to the pot when onions are soft and translucent. Continue to cook over medium heat stirring occasionally.
While carrots are cooking, dice potatoes (skin on or off your call) when potatoes are cubed, add them to pot and give a good stir. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to get the good bits up. Add seasonings and continue to cook until the veggies start to get some color (about 10-15 minutes) Now this may seem like a silly step and you may be tempted to just brown the beef and add the raw veggies all once into the broth like soup; but trust me do it this way the flavor is better, the caramelization adds so much richness. Take the time... Now
Remove veggies to a bowl or the pot you plan to use in the oven.
Add a little oil if needed to first pot and brown beef cubes. Go in batches if they can't lay single layer in your pot. Add salt and pepper to beef. Once nicely browned on all sides, sprinkle flour over cubes and cook for another 5 minutes or until the flour is incorporated.
Add beef stock and be sure to get all the brown bits on the bottom scraped into the stew. (I use a flat spatula the scrape the bottom of the pot while gently stirring) Add the Guinness and simmer on medium low heat for about 10-15 minutes until it thickens slightly.
Bring the ceilidh (Gaelic for party) back together and place the beef mixture and veggies together in oven safe pot, cover and baked for at least 2 hours. It can go longer, it's a forgiving stew. Check on it occasionally and add more liquid if needed. In the last 20 minutes add mushrooms or any other delicate veggies like peas that have a short cook time.
Serve with rolls, over noodles or if you want to eat it Irish style over mashed potatoes. *Occasionally I will make drop biscuits and baked them on top of the stew. If doing this, be sure you have made extra broth as they soak it up when baking. Slainte!